Biased training on Muslims does not represent FBI, especially not in Houston

The FBI in Houston maintains relationships with area Muslim leaders to build trust. (Chronicle)

While a recent report highlighted a (now-cancelled) troubling FBI training course on Muslims, a Texas Muslim activist argues that this rogue example does not represent the positive relationships Muslim leaders have with the agency, especially in Houston and Dallas.

Mohamed Elibiary, who was awarded the FBI’s highest civilian honor earlier this month for his work helping to investigate homegrown extremism, said Texas has developed a model that helps balance the security concerns of the government with the need to protect law-abiding individuals from persecution or discrimination.

In Texas (Dallas & Houston), our community charted a third way over the past decade, not with the National Security hawks who scrutinize every benign social development amongst Muslims globally and not with the big government types who would forsake civil liberties in pursuit of domestic security.

We didn’t have to throw national community groups or other law-abiding American Muslim leaders under the bus to solve these problems as sell-out Muslims do, but we also didn’t elect to sit behind our keyboards and complain that we have no power to act because that’s not our deen (faith) either.

In Dallas and Houston, where 90% of the Texas Muslim community lives, there are many strong relationships between local Muslim community leaders across dozens of masajid, Islamic schools and local community groups and multiple FBI Special Agents, Joint Terrorism Task Force Supervisors, and Special Agents in Charge & Asst. SACs

Steve Gentry, the assistant special agent in charge of Houston FBI’s counterterrorism program, said the Houston office has conducted outreach with the Arab, Sikh and Muslim (ASM) community since 1990. Gentry and other agents continue to work with Muslim groups and leaders, including the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, one of the largest Muslim organizations in the south.

Their long-running relationships allow for frank communication between these groups and the FBI, especially when or if issues arise.

“Houston FBI engages in meetings with the local ASM Community at local mosques, houses or businesses—oftentimes to allay concerns over threat information discussed in the media, or to provide context,” Gentry said in a statement. “These relationships are critical to the FBI as it serves as a basic community policing tool to help mitigate threats at the lowest level possible, while engaging the community in productive/bi-directional communication.”